4/20/2013 7:30 AM PDT

Legendary fighter Micky Ward wants to make it clear to the world ... he has NO relationship with dead bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev -- despite a photo which reportedly shows them arm-in-arm.

Micky's agent tells TMZ he's been hammered with calls ever since the 2006 photo was posted on a local Boston news site.

We can't confirm it's actually Tamerlan in the photo, but it sure looks like him. Nonetheless, a rep for Micky -- whose life was chronicled in "The Fighter" -- says, "It was just like any random person who came up to Micky and asked him for a picture."

The rep adds the former New England Golden Gloves champ had no professional or personal association with Tsarnaev.

As we previously reported ... Tsarnaev had high hopes about making the US Olympic boxing team.

By the way, the news site has removed the photo ... but won't say why.